The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton President of the United States
The White House Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to urge that your Administration take immediate action
to formally designate Mr. Eurico Guterres and other leaders of the
militias in West Timor at this time to be terrorists pursuant to current
provisions of the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
and the Export Administration Act and Arms Control Act as amended.

As you know, Eurico Guterres is widely implicated by many first-hand
accounts as a key leader of the outlaw militias who are responsible for
widespread death, destruction, organized crime, and mayhem inside East
Timor and in the refugee camps on the border. He was reportedly
responsible for inciting the attacks on September 6th that resulted in the
deaths of three employees of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
including an American citizen named Mr. Carlos Caceres, and at least
eleven others. This was the worst attack on UN civilian workers ever, and
the worst of more than 100 armed assaults on aid workers and refugees
reported by the UNHCR in West Timor since September, 1999, when these
militias played the leading role in forcing more than 200,000 East
Timorese from their homes and into camps across the border.

In a chilling repetition of last year's post-referendum violence in
East Timor, virtually all international personnel have now been evacuated
from West Timor, leaving local human rights, humanitarian aid workers, and
more than 100,000 East Timorese refugees at the mercy of leaders of the
terrorist militia organizations. In fact, as recently as September 23-24,
I received accounts from eyewitnesses that Eurico Guterres was actively
involved in inciting the mob unrest and turmoil that spoiled the launching
of the first phase of the new and long over-due action plan set in motion
by the Government of Indonesia to disarm and disband these militias.
Despite his recent arrest, it is likely that Mr. Guterres will be released
from his current detainment in Jakarta. In the meantime, he is being
hailed as a national hero by several Indonesian leaders. I am further
troubled by the refusal of Indonesian authorities to extradite Eurico
Gutteres to East Timor, as requested by the UN in East Timor. The
government's lack of cooperation sets an ominous precedent regarding the
pursuit of justice for the people of East Timor.

Mr. President, there is clear, compelling, and mounting evidence that
Eurico Guterres and other ring-leaders among these criminal militias are
guilty of crimes against humanity. They continue to act with impunity and
to engage in egregious violations of the basic human rights of the
long-suffering Timorese people. They must be stopped. Toward this end, the
Government of the United States needs to publicly identify and formally
declare these men to be the international terrorists that they are. This
would be a very important step toward calling them to account and bringing
them to justice before an international tribunal or otherwise.

We are writing with deep concern to ask about your relationship with
Mr. Eurico Guterres.

As you know, Mr. Guterres has been widely implicated as a key leader of
the West-Timor-based militias responsible for widespread death,
destruction, and criminal activity inside East Timor and in refugee camps
in West Timor.

We have received reports that this man, who is personally responsible
for so many human rights violations and so much suffering among the East
Timorese people, was invited as your guest to attend the recent PDI
Congress. We were further surprised to learn that Mr. Guterres has been
appointed head of your party's youth wing, Banten Pemuda We have also been
told that he frequently attends meetings with you, or at least your
principal advisors, and may even be afforded protection, official
standing, and respect that ought not be extended to anyone so widely known
for committing serious crimes against humanity. In fact, as recently as
September 23-24, we received accounts from eyewitnesses that he was
actively involved in inciting the mob unrest and turmoil that set back the
first phase of the long-overdue action plan launched by the Government of
Indonesia to disarm and eventually disband the militias. Clearly, he is an
acknowledged leader of the militias who are thwarting progress toward the
establishment of a just and lasting peace in East and West Timor.

We don't want to make any rash or premature judgments about your
possible dealings with Mr. Guterres, but we are deeply troubled by reports
suggesting that you and your advisors may be directly or indirectly
shielding this man and other notorious ring-leaders among the militias at
a time when these criminals urgently need to be brought to justice. That
is why we are taking the step of writing to you personally to ask you to
set the record straight as to the nature and scope of your ties to Mr.
Guterres. We would like to determine what steps you are willing to take to
assist in compelling this man and his cohort leaders among the
heavily-armed militias to at least surrender their weapons, disband, and
turn to non-violent means of pursuing their concerns and interests. We
firmly believe that militia leaders in West Timor responsible for murder,
rape, and the destruction of East Timor should be arrested and transferred
to East Timor, in accordance with the April Memorandum of Understanding
Between the Government of Indonesia and the UN Transitional Administration
in East Timor and would request that you use your leadership to endorse
this process. We therefore are troubled by the refusal of Indonesian
authorities to extradite Mr. Guterres to East Timor, as requested by the
UN in East Timor. I fear your government's lack of cooperation sets an
ominous precedent for the pursuit of justice for the people of East Timor.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration and prompt reply
to our questions and concerns.

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